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Can I drill a hole in magnets or saw them?

Since magnets are brittle and can break during drilling or sawing, we do not recommend such methods. Find out below what other complications can occur when machining magnets and which magnets are a suitable alternative.
Table of Contents

Neodymium magnets

Drilling or sawing of neodymium magnets is not recommended for the following reasons:
  • The material is brittle and fragile.
  • Drilling causes combustible dust.
  • The heat caused by the drill can possibly demagnetise the material.
  • Due to the missing coating at the drilled hole, magnets are no longer protected from corrosion.
Specialists can work with the magnets with specialised diamond-tipped tools and constant water cooling. However, this normally occurs prior to magnetisation of the material.

Alternative: Magnets with hole

Luckily you can buy neodymium magnets with hole directly at our online shop. Pot magnets with hole are also great for screw fastening. Thanks to these two alternatives, you can leave it to the experts to drill holes in magnets.

Ferrite magnets

Drilling (or sawing) of ferrite magnets is not recommended. The material is brittle and fragile. Specialists can work with the magnets using specialised diamond-tipped tools, constant water cooling and a high rotation speed. However, this normally occurs before the magnetisation of the material.
You can try to score and break ferrite magnets, but don't expect a clean break. You don't need to drill yourself; because we also carry screw-on ferrite pot magnets in our online shop.
Breaking edge of a scratched ferrite magnet
Breaking edge of a scratched ferrite magnet

In our theme categories, you will find a list of all magnets with a hole. This includes ring magnets made of neodymium or ferrite as well as neodymium magnets with a hole or thread.

Additional information about magnets

If you would like to learn more about magnets and their characteristics, you can find useful information on these FAQ pages for example: